Behind the scenes of the American film crew's expedition to Son Doong Cave

In addition to poor personal hygiene conditions, the film crew members also had to cross deep caves and abysses to bring a ton of machinery and equipment into Son Doong.

At 10am on May 14, the ABC television crew arrived at the center of Son Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province, by helicopter. After a whole week in the humid cave, without the opportunity to shower or take care of personal hygiene, everyone in the crew admitted that their “bodies smelled.”

Unable to hide their fatigue, everyone's faces were radiant because of the success of the live program, introducing Son Doong Cave to 6 million American television viewers and 60 million internet viewers of ABC.

Maria Stefanopoulos, a member of the film crew, could not believe her eyes when she set foot in Son Doong Cave. Photo: Hoang Tao

At noon, 10 members of the delegation along with more than 150 suitcases of equipment and 12 generators were fully gathered at the commune center. The team of 150 experts and staff had to walk and cross the forest until early afternoon to return.

Sharing after the show, Maria Stefanopoulos, a crew member and Head of Production, said that the 10 crew members were all the best people from ABC Television from all over the world. They hired two lighting experts from Thailand.

The program was commented by the production team as very special because it was the first time directly in a cave environment, in the middle of a rugged and remote mountainous area. “It was very difficult to bring equipment into the cave because of the mountainous terrain. The environment in the cave is also very complex and full of dangers. During the implementation, unexpected rain also hindered the team,” said Maria.

The lack of light in the cave made the film crew very worried. 12 generators were brought into the cave to ensure the best images of Son Doong were transmitted to millions of viewers.

The 11-hour time difference between Vietnam and the US was also considered by Maria to be a major obstacle during the filming process. “It was difficult to communicate and exchange between the crew and the departments in the US when it was daytime on one side and midnight on the other,” Maria shared.

Film crew members review the program online. Photo: Hoang Tao

Returning from Son Doong, the crew members went online to watch the program again. Everyone smiled brightly at the footage they had worked so hard to create.

"I couldn't believe my eyes. When I set foot in Son Doong Cave, I knew that paradise was real. Many viewers responded that this was the best live show they had ever seen," Maria said.

Sharing the same feelings about Son Doong, Romeo Durscher, who was in charge of filming from the flycam in the group, also couldn't stop talking about the impression the cave brought. "I was really overwhelmed by the beauty, magnificence and enormity of Son Doong", Romeo described.

With a large audience watching the show, Maria felt proud that the show ended successfully. “From an initial idea, we developed it into a project. Son Doong is a big dream for me. In the previous shows in Asia, we chose Thailand and never thought about Vietnam,” she said.

“Son Doong is a place with complex and dangerous terrain, but there are experts and professional staff who always give us confidence and a sense of safety. For me, exploring Son Doong is one of the best tours in the world. It will bring success to tourism in Quang Binh and Vietnam,” Maria commented.

The film crew's equipment is gathered to be shipped to the US and UK. Photo: Hoang Tao

Talking about the process of connecting to carry out a live program in the world's largest cave, Mr. Nguyen Chau A, General Director of Oxalis Company, the unit that is exploiting the Son Doong expedition tour, said that the communication lasted for many months, but the decision to carry out the program was only made in the last month.

“150 porters and 25 administrative staff and experts worked hard for 10 days straight throughout the program. We planned the program, transported equipment to the filming location, contacted helicopters… The time to import the equipment during the long April 30 holiday also caused many obstacles,” Mr. A confided.

According to the general director, Son Doong is the reason ABC came to Vietnam to make the program. But this great success is not only for Son Doong or Phong Nha but also for Vietnam. The program also introduces the landscape of Ha Long, the life and people of Vietnam…

"This is a big breakthrough, introducing Vietnamese tourism to the world. Son Doong is like an ambassador, using the world's largest cave to promote and highlight the introduction of Vietnamese nature and people to the world," said the general director of Oxalis.

After the success of the program, both the film crew and local tourism operators estimated that many Americans would be interested in Vietnam and plan to visit the S-shaped country.

Currently, Oxalis has been granted the right to exploit Son Doong Cave by the Quang Binh People's Committee until August 2015. "We hope that Quang Binh province will grant a license to maintain tourism activities in Son Doong as this year. I do not think increasing the number of visitors to Son Doong is a good solution. Nature lovers who cannot visit Son Doong can choose many other more suitable destinations," Mr. A confided.

Previously, at 6 p.m. on May 13 (Vietnam time), Good Morning America broadcast live a two-hour program about Son Doong Cave. Vietnamese viewers can watch the program again atThis.

According to VNE